The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1887-05-19

While watchers whisper through the night
There comes time when We grow old.
FL0RUS B. PLYMrToN.
SHERMAN AND LEE
The current number Of the North
American Review contains an elaborate
article by General William T. Sherman
in the nature of reply to General
Lord Wolseley's article in Macmillan's
Magazine of few months since, a very
full abstract Of which was cabled from
London at the time of its publication.
Gen. Sherman takes for the text of his
paper the following extract from Gen.
eral Wolselev' article:
When all the angry feelings reused by Sc
cession are buried with those which existed
when the Declaration of Independence was
written, when Americans can review the
history OF their last great rebellion with
calm impartiality, believe that oil win id.
init that General Lee lowered far above all
men on either side Of the struggle. | believe
he will be regarded, not only as the most
prominent figure of the COnfederacy, but a.
the great American of the Nineteeth Cen
fury whose statue Is well worthy to stand
on an equal pedestal with that OF Washing.
ton, and whose memory Is equally worthy
to be enshrined in the hearts Of al his
countrymen.
Concerning this General Sherman
says:
As l happen to be one of the very
few survivors of the great civil war in
America who had personal and pro-
fessional acquaintance with the CHIEF
actors in that grand drama, am COM
PEELED to join issue with General Wolse.
ley in his conclusion. while willing to
admit nearly all his premises. Though
he is much my junior in years, I enter.
tain for him the highest respect and adj.
miration; he has deservedly gained
fame by deeds here in America, in
South Africa, Egypt and in Great
Britain. His estimate Of the men
whom he has met in life will command
large attention, but l trust his judg-
ment in this case will not be accepted
BY the military world as conclusive and
final. In all wars, in all controversies,
there are two sides and the old Roman
maxim applies, .Audi alterans partem -
FEW MEASUREMENTS.
We all admit that General Robert E,
Lee was. in the highest acceptation Of
the term. "a gentleman and soldier. y
He did not graduate at the head of his
class at West Point, as stated BY Gener-
al Wolseley, for "Cullum's Register
shows that Charles Mason, of New
York, afterwards of Iowa, was No. l
of the date of 1929; that Robert E. Lee.
of Virginia. was No. 2. and that Joseph
Z. johnson, also of Virginia, was No.
Ii in that class of forty-slx members.
Lee was very handsome in person, gen.
tie and dignified in manner, cool and
self-possessed in the midst Of confusion
and battle, not seeking strife, but equal
to it when it came and the very type Of
manhood which would impress itself
on the young enthusiast. General
Wolseley. That special phase of his
character, which General WOlseley
thinks s.weakness," his invariable sub
mission to the President of the South
ern Confederacy. is probably better un-
derstood on this than the other side OF
the Atlantic, where from childhood to
manhood is impressed on us the old
fundamental doctrine that the pen is
mightier than the sword and that the
military must be subordinate to the
civil authority.
General Lee was typical American
and knew that the Southern States
could only succeed in forming an indie.
pendent nation by united action under
a president armed with both militar,
and civil functions and he was unques
tionably right in subordinating his con
duet to the head Of the government
which he had chosen and undertaken
to support and defend.
There was q fair election in November
1860, for president under that consti
tuition. The Southern people freely
participated in that election. Aftel
they were fairly beaten and Abraham
Lincoln, of Illinois, was duly elected
some of the Southern leaders, delvin.
back into the old distractions of 1916
1889. revived the doctrine Of state al
legiance. that a man happening to b,
born in state ian accident which b,
cloud not controD his allegiance be.
came due thereby to that state and no
to the aggregation of states, the Union
have too high An opinion OF Genera
Robert E. Lee to believe that he coule
have been hnmbugged by such shallow
doctrine. No! many of us believe tha
Lee. in 1861, saw and felt the APPROACH
ing horrors and fortunes of civil war
resigne,. his commission in the army
hoped to hide away: first declined ser.
vice in the SO called confetleracy, and
accepted temporary service to defend
| Virginia, his native state: but being
possessed Of large qualities he was in.
portuned. dragooned and forced to .go
in," to drift over the Niagara, which
was inevitable and which he must have
foreseen. His letter of April 20. 1861,
addressed to Lieutenant General Scott,
is in that direction.
.'Since my interview with you on the
18th inst, have felt that | ought nc
L 4. A.. -. = Al